Does it violate the First Amendment for a law to force a citizen to do something that is repugnant to his?

religious beliefs?
The First Amendment says that there can be no law that prohibits free exercise of religious expression. To require a person by law to do something that violates his religious beliefs is an interference with his expression of his religious beliefs.
Can a law force a Muslim business owner to eat... show more religious beliefs?

The First Amendment says that there can be no law that prohibits free exercise of religious expression. To require a person by law to do something that violates his religious beliefs is an interference with his expression of his religious beliefs.

Can a law force a Muslim business owner to eat pork?

Can a law force a Catholic business owner to pay for a customer's abortion?

Why can a law force a Christian to serve a customer in a way that is repulsive to his religious beliefs?

Update: R, why are you such a bigot against Christians...?

Update 2: By baking a cake for a gay wedding, the baker is essentially participating in the wedding. Especially if the cake has an inscription that specifically refers to the names of the persons who are getting married.
If that wedding is repugnant to his religious principles, then yes, forcing him to serve that customer... show more By baking a cake for a gay wedding, the baker is essentially participating in the wedding. Especially if the cake has an inscription that specifically refers to the names of the persons who are getting married.

If that wedding is repugnant to his religious principles, then yes, forcing him to serve that customer is forcing him to participate in an act that is repulsive to his religious principles.

Answers

Best Answer: Since when is baking a cake a violation of religious beliefs?
It's not.
Since when is selling that cake a violation?
It's not.

Then why is baking and selling a cake to gay people a violation? Where does the bible teach "thou shalt not sell goods or services to homosexuals"?

Whatever happened to "love the sinner, hate the sin"?

No right is absolute. When a business is granted a license by the public (through it's locally elected government), that business is required to serve the public equally. Expressly denying service to an entire class of people is discriminatory and illegal. "Render unto Ceaser" - and Ceasar says you have to treat everyone EQUALLY.

Would you so fiercly defend the rights of a Satanist business owner to expressly deny providing goods or services to all Christians? Or a Muslim business owner requiring all women wear a full burka before entering his store? Or the 7-11 clerk requiring you to convert to Islam before he sells you that slurpee?

EDIT: "By baking a cake for a gay wedding, the baker is essentially participating in the wedding." No, he's baking a cake. He's not participating in anything (unless he was also invited). If that were the case, is he also engaging in homosexual sex on the wedding night? That's ridiculous.

In a Capitalist society, bakers are not "participating" in a gay wedding if they bake a cake for it. If they give the cake away for free, you could argue that they're participating. Since they are getting paid, it's a simple transaction, complete upon payment. The same would hold true for a catering company even though they would be forced to work at the reception.

The 1st Amendment doesn't give you the right to discriminate in a business transaction on the grounds of race, gender, sexual preference or a host of other things. The key here is the fact that it's a business transaction. They certainly can't force you to bake a cake for free.

Do you consider yourself a Capitalist Mr. Censorship?

EDIT
"Can a law force a Muslim business owner to eat pork?"
That isn't the same thing. "Can a law force a Muslim caterer to serve pork?" fits the situation better. And the answer is NO, so long as his business doesn't serve pork to anyone else. The law can't make you bake a cake for a gay wedding if your company doesn't bake cakes.

"Can a law force a Catholic business owner to pay for a customer's abortion?" Again, not the same thing. For a proper comparison, your question would have to be "Can a law force a Catholic business owner to perform an abortion for a paying customer?" and the answer is NO, so long as the business owner doesn't perform abortions for anyone else. The law will not force us to be in a business we don't want to be in.

Your situation is different from both of your examples and both of mine. You bake cakes and want to refuse service to a particular person based on sexual preference. Right now, you might get away with it. The Supreme Court recently considered two cases, DOMA and California Prop 8. Had they ruled that homosexuality constitutes a "suspect classification" for 14 Amendment purposes, the Arizona law would not stand up to a challenge, but they didn't include that in their decisions.

The Arizona law is so blatant, the Supreme Court will have to hear a case, almost right away and they'll have to take the 14th Amendment into consideration this time. We all know they way the winds are blowing with regards to homosexuality. What decision do you think they'll reach?

Governor Brewer would do well to be on the right side of history, don't you think?

So if gay people create their own religion in which homosexuality is the major tenant, then they would be protected from discrimination?
There are some religions in the world that accept and practice cannibalism. Is it wrong to make laws against their religious practices or beliefs?
If an employee is Catholic and refused to serve anyone who is not Catholic would that be OK?
Using the argument of religion in the cases you describe only open the door to legal discrimination with no end in sight.

SELLING A PRODUCT CAN NOT, IN ANY WAY, BE DONE IN A WAY THAT VIOLATE ONES RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.
THE IDEA IS UTTERLY RIDICULOUS. GOOD FOR SHOCK VALUE ONLY.
you guys are certifiably insane and hopelessly ignorant
and yeah, the caps are here because I'm pissed that his is even a thing. Violating current laws in favor of effing opinions of groups of people. NOT IN AMERICA! NEVER AGAIN!

The business isn't protected from the law, just because the owner is christian.

If you find gay marriage sinful, then you should not be forced to support it with your services. and if you do, you should feel completely free to do the worse job you can imagine at it. Be sure to put a heterosexual couple on top, use the wrong icing (black perhaps) or cake flavors (red velvet would certainly make me regret forcing you to make my wedding cake). If you are a photographer, cut off a few heads or have objects come out of people's heads so everyone looks like a reindeer. Make them pay for forcing you to do something against your will. Slavery is supposed to be illegal in this country but liberals are still trying to put it back into place.